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Reviews by PootisMcPoot

99

The best story in gaming

A very dark and twisted, but deep storyline. A world that draws you in a slowly throttles any sense of hope. Great gameplay and immersive environments. Amazing writing and dialogue. This game is almost mythical in reputation, and I must say it deserves it. While the heaviness of the game's story makes it hard to play more than an hour or two at a time, that hour will be one of the creepiest, most intensely thought-provoking experiences you've ever had in gaming. Gameplay is straight survival horror. Ammunition is scarce, environments are spooky, enemies are creepy and often appear behind you when you don't expect it. More horrifying, though, is the cerebral aspect of the game, which demonstrates many twisted viewpoints of the world and of human morality. Gunplay is tight, exploring is spooky but addictive, and the sound design, art, and music for this game are peerless. Truly a masterpiece of modern gaming.

87

Great game, but not as good as Metro 2033

When I first played Metro 2033 a couple years ago, I was floored at how atmospheric it was. Tension just oozes out of the abandoned Metro tunnels and the knowledge that there are monsters snuffling a few feet away and you only have a couple bullets left is one of the most intense moments I've had in a long history of playing video games.
Metro Last Light gives the player more atmospheric adventures, with a less buggy engine, slightly improved graphics and voice acting, tighter controls, and a slightly less engaging world. While many of the issues with the original Metro game were ironed out in this release, and the game extended to about 20 hours of play time, the world loses much of its tension in Last Light. Humans are never very far away, and you often have a companion with you, so the threat of facing horrifying monsters alone in the dark is much less severe this time around. Much of the game actually deals with human drama and battles between factions in the Metro, so the game begins to feel almost like a modern military shooter at points instead of a survival horror game like the first one. Bosses are annoying bullet sponges that should never have been created.
In conclusion, while Metro: Last Light gives more of what Metro junkies crave, it is a slightly watered down product, full of modern-military-shooter-esque set pieces, gratuitous and unnecessary sex scenes, and tension-less environments. It's a great game, but it can never live up to the mastery of the original.

92

Trend-setting game

You're sitting on the roof of an abandoned apartment complex, staring out onto a twisted landscape full of the shells of buildings and overturned cars. You're standing in the shadows of an old factory, hearing a mutant snuffle or a raider curse nearby and holding your breath, hoping they don't round the corner. You're feeling lonely as you trek across a barren world, devoid of any life. And then over your radio you hear the opening notes of Billie Holiday's Easy Living and suddenly everything is all right. This game is a fantastically detailed sandbox adventure that deals in emotion just as much as in adrenaline and fantastic adventures. Rich depth and the potential for hundreds of hours of exploration make this one of the most amazing games of all time, even if, as with most of Bethesda's titles, it is a bit slow at the start.
While it is by no means perfect, due to gameplay glitches and mediocre combat feel, the game's setting and tone clearly influenced many post-apocalyptic titles that followed it, making it one of the most important games in PC history.

95

A work of art

Easily oen of my favourite games ever. The storyline is definitely one of the best (and THE most complex) around, and the lifelike characters, the absolutely stunning art direction, and thrilling gameplay really add to it. It is very heavily plot driven, make no mistake; the gameplay is the weakest part, not because it is bad (by any stretch of the imagination), but because the plot and the way the world is designed is just flawless. Much of the game is linear, which detracts a little from the plot device of having multiple worlds and infinite choice, but the combat feels finely tuned and visceral at all times, which makes up for a lot of those problems.
The attention to detail seen in the surroundings, the music, and the world itself is second to none. Truly a masterpiece, and definitely a game that everyone who considers themself a gamer should play. I have played through the entire game 2.5 times already and have finished the DLC, which really adds to the experience.

94

The best stealth game of the generation.

The immersive atmosphere of Half-Life and Bioshock mixed with the stealth of Thief and Deus Ex, set in a Whalepunk universe. The graphics, while simple, are beautifully done in painting-like tones, and the lighting engine is phenomenal. The soundtrack is both breathtaking and adrenaline-inducing. The storyline is quite solid and very dark, the world expansive and deep, and the game can clock you 23+ hours on higher difficulty if you explore a little.
The controls are extremely responsive, and make the game feel fluid and natural to play. The voice acting is marvellous. Almost constantly you'll overhear guards or civilians having conversations, but it's almost always a unique, scripted dialogue made specially just for those two NPCs, that can last for upwards of two minutes in many cases.
AND THE CHOICE - You can go through missions in countless ways, from combat to stealth. However, combat is difficult against more than one enemy, so the player is encouraged to take on one enemy at a time. Multiple passageways always exist to reach your goal, and your actions will always result in different outcomes. Simply a fantastic game, reminiscient of the Thief games of old.

78

Surprisingly great B - grade game

When I first saw this game, I thought it would be terrible. It looks like a budget movie of something like Tomb Raider or God of War. However, upon playing it, all my preconceived notions were proved wrong. The controls are extremely tight and satisfying, making it easy to perform the variety of combos (accessible in a DEDICATED COMBO TRAINING MODE!!) while dicing up foes with the various weapons included in the game. Movement feels extremely fluid and well put together, and this game has the best rumble integration I have ever seen when playing with a controller, adding a satisfying impact each time a blade hits your foes.
The pacing at the start is electrifying, and although it slows down a little in some parts, it continues to hold the player's interest through cheesy action scenes and dialogue. The game feels tongue-in-cheek in many parts, as the designers poke fun at the ridiculousness of the situations you find yourself in.
Essentially, this game is as good, if not better than, God of War. While the platforming/puzzle elements are less interesting, and a little too similar to the old Tomb Raider games, the actions scenes more than make up for it (you can ride on giant scorpions' backs, for goodness' sake!).
Great game, would buy again.

81

Hidden Gem of an Action RPG

I picked this game up on a sale a while ago and right off the bat it pleasantly surprised me with the amount of thought that went into its construction. While the loading screens and GUI may look dated, the graphics in this game are still refreshingly crisp. The world is painstakingly built to look as beautiful as possible from pretty much every angle and keep the player interested by using a wide variety of landscapes. It feels almost as though every pebble and blade of grass was carefully placed in order to make the game world feel real. Sunbeams move in real time through the foliage, surprising for such an old game.
The controls are simple but do the job well. WASD to move and mouse for camera + combat controls. Combat is essentially made up of ranged attacks with a bow, blocking with a shield, and attacking with the weapon of your choice. There is a wide variety of gear and armor available, and some of it is only accessible through optional quests.
What really stood out to me when playing this game was the way the world was interconnected. Every area leads to another and the quests that NPCs give you tie the world together in a meaningful way. It's a joy to just explore parts of the map you haven't visited and see the beautiful sights. All in all, this game is a hidden gem that is definitely worth picking up on sale and trying out.

64

Not as good as Risen 1

While this game has an interesting art design, setting, and story, poor fighting mechanics hurt it a lot when it comes to enjoyment. While Risen 2 continues Piranha Byte's tradition of awesome open world exploration and interesting, handcrafted environments, the combat is often dull and lackluster. Attacks are often simplified to single-button combos and little skill is required to kill enemies, who are essentially bullet sponges.
I would highly recommend going back and playing Risen 1 instead as it has more Skyrim-esque (third person) combat controls and is far better gameplay and performance-wise.
As stated before, the art direction is quite nice in this game, although the graphics are dated. The music is also decent. The game is not very well optimized, so beware unless you have a good PC.

98

Game of the generation (but play with a controller!)

An imperfect port of what may well be one of the most perfect action RPGs ever made. This game is brilliant in every way, from the soundtrack, to the level design, to the balancing of the various mechanics, to the feel of the controls, to the world-building and lore. Just play it and you will get sucked in for a long, long time. Just about endless replayability, hundreds of secrets which can sometimes only be found through interaction with other players, robust multiplayer and a steep learning curve make this game stand out from pretty much any other game ever created for PC.
A caveat: I started playing this game on mouse and keyboard. I thought it was a fantastic game, and everything worked once I had intalled dsfix and dsmfix (user-created patches). However, I eventually bought a controller and the game feels a million times better. Just buy a controller, even if it's for this one game. You'll be infinitely happier over the 60+ hours your first playthrough takes.

89

One of the best post-apocalyptic games ever made.

Fantastic visuals, attention to detail, and a dark and brooding atmosphere make this game a gripping one. Howls and shrieks echo down foggy tunnels and fill you with a very real sense of dread as your weapon jams and you spend valuable seconds cursing and hitting it. The smoke from your companions' barrels reflect the flashes of gunfire back at you, making it impossible to see more than a few feet. This game is all about its atmosphere, its gripping realism. Mistakes, such as shooting a lantern or falling off a moving vehicle will not mean a game over, they will mean that you have to sprint behind the truck while demons from the wasteland howl at your heels. Gameplay is rock solid and the environments manage to be imaginitive while still giving you the feeling that you're stuck miles below ground in the old Russian subway lines. Give it a try and you won't be disappointed.